The collecting of attractive and unusual plates has been a popular hobby for many years. In addition to the pleasure of acquiring such plates the collector naturally desires to display them. Two primary concerns of the collector in displaying a plate collection is that the display system not only presents the plates attractively, but also provides a degree of security against accidental plate damage. Thus, although the collector usually desires to display the collection in a manner which best exhibits the plate's features, the monetary or sentimental value, or both, usually associated with such plates renders it imperative that the plates not be subjected to accidental damage.
Various plate racks have been made the subject of patents as typified by the 1917 patent to Brekke, U.S. Pat. No. 1,216,061, and the 1918 patent to Fischer, U.S. Pat. No. 1,253,950. Both of these patents disclose rigid plate racks having shelves on which the lower edges of the plates rest. Generally stops are provided in racks of this type to prevent the lower edges of the plates from slipping outwardly off the rack. Additionally, such racks are usually designed to be attached to a vertical wall surface. Aside from these limitations, racks of this type generally present a rather massive appearance which it is felt detracts from the effective display of the often relatively fragile plates being displayed.
A jewelry display rack is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,720 of 1978. In this rack a series of vertically spaced rings are interconnected by chains and are provided with hooks designed to support necklaces, bracelets and similar elongated, flexible pieces of jewelry. Obviously such racks are not suitable for the display of plates.
Additionally, a general purpose, cord-suspended shelf which utilize a hollow bead is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,165 of 1975. Again, while the shelf disclosed in this patent may be suitable for general purposes it would not provide the features needed for a secure yet effective plate display rack.